Heart assist devices or pumps can be connected in the circulatory system to pump blood from one location of the vasculature to another. A common approach is to pump blood from either ventricle or atrium of a heart to the ascending aorta. A pump supplementing or replacing a ventricle is known as a ventricular assist device, or VAD. A VAD is useful when the ventricle alone is incapable of providing adequate blood flow. Rotary pumps typically include a rotor that rotates within a housing. The rotor may be rotatably supported within the housing by bearings at the fore and/or aft ends of the pump.